It’s time to take a break, not from education, not from learning, but from the tug-of-war between education and GenAI.
More than two years in, (see my previous post – ‘AI assessment emergency’) and I can’t help but feel we are still caught up in the fear, the hype, the defensiveness, the over-promising, the over-reacting, the debates, the endless “solutions”. Amidst it all, we have heard GenAI being referred to as anything from ‘mentor’ to ‘expert’, ‘collaborator’ to ‘friend’. In this short opinion post, I want to make two reflective and final points:
Point One: ChatGPT still won’t replace me (and I am sad this conversation has not been put to rest yet!)
It won’t replace me (previous post) – not because I don’t have a growth mindset or because I don’t see the power of GenAI, but because I know my real value as an educator (indeed, as a person!). My role in education has never been about assessments, metrics, financial gain (and it often wasn’t about a work-life balance either 😃!), nor was it about working my way up a career ladder. As a society, we have lost the real value of education to a competitive, economically driven and individualistic society (one that will forever struggle to address deeper issues like inequality and sustainability issues!).
Point Two: Let’s Stop Giving GenAI Human Qualities
AI is not a mentor, a collaborator, or a friend. AI is a tool, yes a sophisticated one, but it is ultimately a set of algorithms. It can be extremely helpful, it can save time but overall it is an ‘it’. So, why has it to become such a threat to our education system! (Hint: We did not heed the call of educational thinkers before us – Piaget, Paulo Freire, Ken Robinson, who tried to warn us that real learning is human, connected, relational and rooted in creativity and care). As I reflect on the past two years, I suspect allocating a human aspect to AI has played into the challenge of addressing its impact on education , and I’ll admit, I’ve used the wrong language myself (though never the wrong belief).
What is Our Education System’s Value?
Education should create experiences for students where relationships can be formed, and matter. Where emotional support can be given and received. Where personal guidance is rooted in empathy, and where trust can be built (and broken!). Where challenges can be explored and scaffolded. Where students and educators experience the type of personal growth that will never be experienced by typing (or saying) a prompt. Where perspectives collide, merge or veer apart. Where there is laughter and anger (or stress). Where students and educators alike learn to manage emotions, gain perspectives from others and build/maintain self-worth. GenAI will not develop self-worth, GenAI is not the threat (I had thought it might pivot us to focussing on what matters – alas – if we continue to award it human qualities I’ve realised we have little hope).
Take a Break and Recalibrate
Education was never just about assessments, yet we placed it centre stage and let it remain there for so long we cannot fathom an alternative way forward. Education is about listening, supporting, challenging, and providing an environment where lives can be changed and self-worth can be realised.
Note: We have many educators working against the system to make learning experiences just like the ones I have described above. So this summer, take a break from GenAI, take a break from technology (see my call for modelling tech balance for young people!). Enjoy the aspects of life that give you self-worth and maybe return ready to approach GenAI as a sophisticated tool, not a threat, and certainly not a person.
Let’s stop focussing on AI. Let’s start remembering our worth. Only then, can be begin to address the real threats – inequality and environmental degradation.
References
The Speaker Lab. (2024, May 22). Breaking down Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk: How education can stifle creativity. The Speaker Lab. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://thespeakerlab.com/blog/ken-robinson-ted-talk/